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Jaida Chartier probably never imagined herself as a warrior at 12 years old.
In May 2023 she was a student at Essex Public School. She liked pandas, trips to Tennessee, Harry Potter and Taylor Swift, going to the beach, and visiting Starbucks and East Side Marios. She took ballet and lyrical dance classes, and she loved being with family, her father Brandon and her mother Sarah, and being a big sister to Sienna, now 11 and Nylah, now 7.
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Around that time, pain in her neck and pressure in her eyes brought medical tests, then a CT scan, then a trip by Ornge air ambulance to the London Health Sciences Centre – Children’s hospital.
Jaida was diagnosed with Stage 4 Diffuse Midline Glioma with H3K27M mutation, an aggressive form of brain cancer. The medium survival rate is nine to 12 months. Jaida died on July 31, 2024, just a month short of her 13th birthday.
Throughout that time, she kept up her family’s spirits with her vivacity and her courage, said her father Brandon. “She fought like hell for 10 months, and you would never have known in that 10 months she was sick,” he said.
“Jaida was a happy go lucky girl. She was always so positive about life.”
“Every day was a new day, and she faced the day with determination and perseverance. (She) always had a smile on her face and never ‘why me?’ Never feel sorry for me. She was a true champion.”
Jaida’s journey is being remembered in a 2025 fundraising calendar produced by the Barrie-based advocacy charity Ontario Parents Advocating for Children with Cancer.
In a photo for the promotion of the calendar Jaida sports an easy smile, her long brown hair dangling over her shoulders. She looks pleased to be among the trees behind her.
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In the calendar photo, Jaida is dressed as Katniss Everdeen, the hero of the Hunger Games movies, in a role played by Jennifer Lawrence.
The calendar also features stories told by parents in their own words.
Jaida’s treatment meant she and family members had to make many trips to London and a trip to Rochester, NY.
“We spent over six months collectively at the Ronald McDonald house in London,” said Chartier.
Sienna and Nylah had to face the challenges that go with having a big sister with brain cancer. “They were forced to grow up,” Chartier said. “They grew up probably three or four years. Sienna … became the big sister. They went through more things in that hospital, they heard more medical terms than probably any other 11 or seven-year-old child would ever hear.”
Jaida served as a focus that brought the whole community to her side, Chartier said.
“She won the hearts of the community. The whole town of Essex pulled together and fire departments joined her fight.”
The school was very supportive, he said. “The teachers would spend the little extra to help her because after the brain surgery… Jaida slowed down a little bit, but not much. She was still an A student, and her teachers and her friends were there to support her through the whole process.
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“Everybody was aware of her – could tell you stories because of how strong she was, and it really brought together a community. It really raised awareness of childhood cancer.”
Others who helped Jaida and the Chartier family included the Toronto-based Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario, and organizations that address childhood cancer, such as Emeryville-based Fight Like Mason Foundation, set up in honour of Mason Bacon-Macri, a four-year-old boy who died of cancer.
There was also a trip through the Make A Wish Foundation to Disney World and Harry Potter World at Universal Studios.
The calendar is a way to make sure Jaida is remembered, Chartier said. Parents were invited to submit stories in their own words, and Jaida was selected.
“I think the calendar …provides hope, so many families may receive the calendar and see these brilliant young children who have fought or are fighting an incredible battle.”
“The photo means that Jada wasn’t forgotten. Jaida’s story will be forever.”
The Chartiers have set up a foundation to raise money and awareness of childhood cancer.
“Our goal is to raise money to fund pediatric brain cancer research, to fund research grants, to continue to push the bar and and raise money for research. Childhood cancer is so underfunded. … These are our youngest heroes, and we really need to be there for them.”
The foundation can be reached on Facebook at jaidasjourney (The Jaida Chartier Foundation).
The calendar can be purchased at opacc.org/shop.
bamacleod@postmedia.com
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